20th Annual Utah Biomedical Engineering Conference (UBEC) 2025: showcasing regional biomedical innovation and collaboration

UBEC 2025 featured a robust program of student research, including 38 scheduled podium presentations and 80 posters. Students from three universities presented their work in fields such as cardiovascular engineering, biomaterials, neuroengineering, data science, and drug delivery. The innovation, advancement, and dedication shown at this event was acknowledged by many attendees.

1st Place: Amanda Wood (UofU)

Synthetic mucins effectively modulate the complex yeast-to-hyphal transition of the commensal pathogen Candida albicans

2nd Place: Sofia Ruiz (UofU)

Cardiac Bridging Integrator 1 Gene Therapy Reduces Fibrosis in Failing Myocardium in a Pre-Clinical Model of Ischemic Heart Failure

3rd Place: Connor Tarbet (BYU)

Development of an Antrum-Pylorus Simulator for Gastroretentive Device Testing

1st Place: Nejra Mujkanovic (UofU)

Sinonasal Tissue Microenvironment Characterization in Eosinophilic Chronic Rhinosinusitis

2nd Place: Chimdi Ihediwa (UofU)

Image Processing of X-rays of the Spine and Spinal Cord Stimulation Implants

3rd Place: Peyton Messina (UofU)

Targeting Therapy Resistance in Head and Neck Cancer with Methylselenocysteine-Hyaluronic Acid Conjugates

One of UBEC’s highly anticipated events are the keynote speaker and Alumni Panelist. This year, we were fortunate to have two keynote speakers attend.

Thursday night, at the JCC, attendees had the pleasure of listening to Rich Linder, CEO of Xenter (Salt Lake City). Rich is a seasoned medical device entrepreneur and inventor with over 100 patents spanning interventional cardiology, orthopedic surgery, neuro-intervention, reproductive medicine, and more. With degrees from BYU and the U of U, Rich began his career at Merit Medical Systems and has since held executive positions at Boston Scientific and Remedy Informatics and served as president/CEO of CoNextions Medical, Coherex Medical, and now Xenter. He is also the founder and chairman emeritus of BioUtah, served on USTAR’s Governing Authority overseeing $430M in innovation funding, and has contributed to numerous corporate and nonprofit boards.

In addition, a PhD alumni panel featuring distinguished graduates from the University of Utah’s Biomedical Engineering program offered guidance to students and early-career professionals. Panelists included 3 U of U BME PhDs: Dr. Kara Johnson, Shana Melby, and Emily Smith.  These professionals shared their experiences navigating careers in industry and academia. They provided valuable advice during an engaging Q&A session that was a highlight of the conference.

At the conference on Friday, Dr. Atim Atte Enyenihi spoke to attendees on academic success. Dr. Atim Atte Enyenihi is a scientist, strategist, and advocate for aligning careers with purpose and impact. Starting with a PhD from UNC Chapel Hill, she has nearly 18 years of experience in life sciences across academia, industry, and government. She discovered peptide targets that are now in development as CAR T-cell immunotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia, developed diagnostic assays for MRSA, and developed a newborn screening test for a rare genetic disorder. She recently transitioned into city government, where she works at the intersection of technology, innovation, and economic development. her keynote address included  real stories that gave practical insight, and left attendees  with a new way to think about success—not just as achievement, but as meaningful alignment between who they are and what they do.

UBEC has always emphasized collaboration, and this year was no different. The conference’s expo featured 5 local exhibitors, including Snaptron, Biohive, and Boehringer. University of Utah and UHealth organizations also participated such as the Center for Medical Innovation, the Vice President for Research, and the Department of Anesthesiology. Our exhibitors made it possible for students to connect with innovators and programs in the biomedical engineering space.

As Utah continues to be recognized as a hub for biomedical innovation, UBEC plays a crucial role in connecting talent with opportunity. Over nearly two decades, the conference has supported the growth of the state’s medtech industry, which employs thousands of University of Utah Biomedical Engineering graduates.

The success of UBEC 2025 has organizers already looking ahead to next year’s event.

The 20th Annual UBEC was only possible through the generous support of numerous sponsors such as: University of Utah Office of the Vice President of Research,  Utah State Department of Economic Development, Snaptron, University of Utah Department of Anesthesiology, Dr. Patrick Tresco, Institute of Biological Engineering, Boehringer, Center for Medical Innovation, The Nucleus Institute, and Bloom Surgical.

In addition to our sponsors, UBEC 2025 could not have been possible without the help of the University of Utah Biomedical Engineering Department, the John and Marcia Price College of Engineering, and the 2025 UBEC Committee. We would like to specifically thank Patrick Tresco, PhD, Dave Grainger, PhD, Kylie Brown, Monica Kohler, Sheila Olson, Taylor Wilkes, the army of volunteers, and the entire BME staff for their support and dedication to this event.

Finally, we want to acknowledge the volunteer efforts of UBEC co-chairs and committee including James Anderson, Diego Perez,  Abby Harrison, Emma Welsh, and Adam Losser.

As we look towards UBEC 2026, we anticipate another year of groundbreaking research and expanded opportunities for collaboration. Building on the success of this year’s conference, the UBEC 2026 organizers aim to introduce more interactive elements, foster even greater industry partnerships, and continue to provide a platform for Utah’s thriving biomedical engineering community to connect, innovate, and inspire. The future of UBEC looks brighter than ever.

UBEC Organizers from left to right: James Anderson, Emma Welsh, Abby Harrison, Diego Perez, and Adam Losser.